A lot of notes not worthy of note

Last Sunday, a 44-year-old man walked into a bank in HCM City and said he wanted to change US$100,000 into Vietnamese đồng. — Photo vietq.vn

Last Sunday, a 44-year-old man walked into a bank in HCM City and said he wanted to change US$100,000 into Vietnamese đồng.

Counting out VNĐ2.25 billion takes time, even if the highest denomination of VNĐ500,000 is used – this means 4,500 notes, which means 45 bundles of 100 notes each. Even if the bundles were already prepared, it would still have to be recounted before it was handed over.

But the bankers were not doing the math, because they knew something did not add up.

When they checked the notes that their walk-in customer from Thái Bình Province, many miles from HCM City, had brought, they found something odd. The 1000 notes of 100 dollar denomination were just one dollar bills scanned with two zeros added.

When the man, whose name has not been disclosed, was confronted with his duplicity, he said it was his friend’s money. The friend was nabbed by the police too.

While the amateur robbers have entertained us, they are not laughing all the way to the bank. — VNS